Anything & Everything About Movies

The Finnick O’Dair Dilemma

(L-R) Armie Hammer, Taylor Kitsch & Garrett Hedlund

I know it’s been out in the blogosphere for a couple of days now, but I feel like I just have to give my two cents on this whole “Who will play Finnick O’Dair?” crisis. The rumored three actors for the coveted role are Armie Hammer (The Social Network, Mirror Mirror), Taylor Kitsch (John Carter, Battleship) and Garrett Hedlund (Tron, Country Strong). Before I give my opinion, I feel like I need to explain exactly what Finnick O’Dair means to the Hunger Games trilogy.

Finnick O’Dair is introduced to us as a beautiful but cocky and arrogant playboy. Katniss informs us that he is the “plaything” of many of the wealthy women of the Capitol, and he seems to enjoy it. When Finnick won the Hunger Games his year, he was lethal with a trident, a common weapon of District 4, the fishing district. He is described as big and burly and athletic. At first glance, Finnick O’Dair seems superficial and distasteful, but if you keep reading, Finnick’s secrets begin to come to light.

We are shown a softer more sensitive side to him that he has to hide away in order to survive. The truth behind his affairs at the Capitol is revealed as well as the fact that he is in love with someone that seems impossible for him to be in love with. Even more important than Rue is Finnick O’Dair, and it is going to be a tricky casting call.

Now I have to say which actor I think should play him out of those three I mentioned before, and I’m going with Armie Hammer wholeheartedly. While I love Taylor Kitsch as Tim Riggins on one of my favorite TV series of all time, Friday Night Lights, he’s proved this past year that he’s not quite as convincing playing anyone else, a.k.a. John Carter and Battleship. Garrett Hedlund would be a good second choice, because he’s beautiful like Finnick, but I feel like he’s not masculine enough. He’s proven he can be sensitive and soft-spoken (Country Strong), and he can pull off action sequences (Tron), but I still think he’s just too pretty.

Armie Hammer is the most well-rounded of the three, and I can really see him doing a great job of bringing Finnick O’Dair off the pages of Catching Fire and Mockingjay. He’s good at being playful and funny (Mirror Mirror), mean and conniving (The Social Network), and sensitive and vulnerable (J. Edgar). Finnick has to be someone that can be a little bit of everything, because he definitely has some layers that are peeled back throughout the last two books of the series. That’s just my own opinion, though, but I hope it materializes!

Welcome to The Reel Story!

This blog was created with the sole purpose of providing more entertainment for those who love entertainment. Here you can find interviews with talent about their upcoming projects as well as their personal background, movie reviews, information about upcoming movies and random movie gab. All I can hope for is that you enjoy this blog and that it can continue to attract more movie-lovers like myself. Enjoy!